A CHILD evacuee from the Second World War is set to share his experiences in a major exhibition at the Imperial War Museum North.

Donald Mitchell, from Colne, was just 13 when he set sail from Liverpool on an eight week voyage to Australia in 1940.

He was one of 15,000 children from all over the country who were sent thousands of miles across the sea to other countries.

The exhibition, entitled Oceans Apart, features personal accounts, letters and photographs from the children who were sent to stay with family overseas.

His evacuation to Australia was arranged by the Children’s Overseas Reception Board. He left his home in Colne, in August 1940, to sail to his new life.

Donald, now 83, said: “I desperately wanted to go, as did my friend. It was pure adventure and we were not going to miss out.”

He didn’t arrive in Sydney until November 1940. He was later moved to Melbourne where he spent the next four years.

Donald tried to adapt to his new life, joining the Scouts and becoming involved in the local cadet force.

But Australia was affected by the war as well and Donald struggled to find work as he got older.

The constant upheaval, between host families, took it toll on the teenager, affecting his outlook on life.

“I think it made me very wary, reserved and rather shy around people in later life,” Donald added.

He was quick to observe the effects the war was having on his hosts though.

In a letter home at the time, he said: "As you must have realised, Australia is now feeling the war badly…manpower, shortages, rationing – you know the whole story yourself – are making ordinary life much harder and very different to how it was in 1940.”

Eventually he decided to return to England and arrived back home in October 1944.

Donald also came close to tragedy. His evacuation ship was set to be in the same convoy as the City of Benares, was sunk in the Atlantic, with the loss of 77 lives.

The exhibition in Salford Quays runs until September.